Incidence patterns of Lyme disease and cutaneous B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the United States

Background: Several reports have suggested a link between infection with Borrelia burgdorferi (the spirochete causing Lyme disease) and development of cutaneous B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (CBCL). Methods: We did a correlation analysis of CBCL and Lyme disease using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: We could not demonstrate a geographic correlation between incidence rates of Lyme disease and CBCL. Conclusion: This observation suggests that infection with B. burgdorferi is not a major risk factor for CBCL in the USA.